Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center on the Loring AFB in Caribou, ME

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

for the New Job Corps Center on the Loring AFB in Caribou, ME

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the

New Job Corps Center on Loring AFB.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations

(40 CFR part 1500-08) implementing procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Labor,

Employment and Training Administration, Office of Job Corps, in

accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d), gives notice that an Environmental

Assessment (EA) has been prepared and the proposed plans for the new

Loring AFB Job Corps Center will have no significant environmental

impact, and this Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

will be made available for public review and comment for a period of 30

days.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by December 18, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Amy Knight, Employment

and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution

Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20210, (202)219-5468.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the EA and additional

information are available to interested parties by contacting Albert

Glastetter, Director, Region I (One), Office of Job Corps, One Congress

Street, 11th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, (617)565-2167.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed site, located in ten existing

buildings on the Loring AFB, is comprised of approximately 30 acres.

The site is part of the larger AFB complex which consists of

approximately 8,317 acres, but which is to be down-sized pursuant to

findings of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Loring

AFB has served in its military role since 1917. The proposed site is

bordered by Texas Road to the north, Georgia Road to the east, Weinman

Road to the south, and Cupp Road to the west.

The proposed Job Corps Center is designed to accommodate 392 full-

time students with dormitories, educational/vocational facilities, food

service facilities, medical/dental facilities, recreational facilities,

administrative offices, storage and support. Approximately 268,759

gross square feet in the existing buildings will be rehabilitated, with

the addition of 5,940 gross square feet of new structure. The proposed

project is designed to be constructed in accordance with the local

fire, building, and zoning code requirements.

The site is located in a rural setting with open space extending in

all directions. To the west, across Cupp Road, there is a substantial

ten-acre wetland, while to the south there is a large wooded area.

Outdoor recreational facilities include nearby baseball and softball

fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, a running track, and walking

trails.

The new facilities associated with the Job Corps will make use of

an existing roadway and infrastructure such as water and sewer lines,

telephone poles, and stormwater drainage systems. The proposed building

rehabilitation program will include the proper mitigation of all

asbestos materials and lead-based paint, where necessary. Underground

storage tanks and

[[Page 57597]]

contaminated soils resulting from earlier fuel oil spills will be

completed by the Air Force prior to Job Corps startup.

Conversion of this part of Loring AFB to a Job Corps Center would

be a positive asset to the area in terms of environmental and

socioeconomic improvements and long-term productivity. With the loss of

Loring AFB as a significant employer, the City of Caribou will face an

increased demand by its citizens for employment opportunities. The new

Job Corps Center will be a new source of such employment opportunity.

In addition, the Job Corps program, which provides basic education,

vocational skills training, work experience, counseling, health care

and related support services, is expected to graduate students ready to

participate in the local economy and elsewhere.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact

on any natural system or resource. There are no ``historically

significant'' buildings on the site and no areas of archaeological

significance. There are no threatened or endangered species located on

Loring AFB. Surface water, groundwater, woodlands, and wetlands would

not be adversely affected because the rehabilitation, construction, and

operational activities associated with the proposed project do not

represent any increased significant change from the historical use of

the site as a residential area with support facilities. The base-wide

remediation of contamination, currently underway by the U.S. Air Force

throughout Loring AFB, will minimize impacts from existing sources of

contamination upon the natural systems and resources.

Based upon preliminary analyses, no significant levels of radon

exist on the site. Analytical data describing the Loring AFB surface

water supply documents that there are no levels of lead present in the

drinking water. A corrosion protection system in place at the Loring

AFB water treatment plant will mitigate any excess lead that may occur

in drinking water supplied to the center. An asbestos assessment of the

ten-building complex has been completed. Only one location in Building

5904 warranted repair or abatement of asbestos-containing duct

insulation. Mitigation of asbestos-containing duct insulation will be

addressed during rehabilitation. Lead-based paint is believed to exist

in three buildings built prior to 1978. Mitigation measures will take

place if the designated use of the building so warrants.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact

upon air quality, noise levels, and lighting. Air quality is good in

the area and the proposed project would not be a source of air

emissions. Noise levels in the area are consistent with rural/suburban

areas and, with the exception of the construction period, the proposed

project will not be a source of additional noise. Finally, street

lights for the proposed project will be modified in the final design,

if necessary, to ensure levels of illumination consistent with the

utilization needs.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impacts

upon the existing infrastructure represented by water, sewer, and

stormwater systems. Adequate water is available to the site through the

Loring AFB water supply system. Stormwater runoff is accommodated by an

existing sewer system. The separate sanitary sewer collection system is

in place and is deemed to be adequate. Wastewater treatment will be

achieved at the nearby Loring AFB wastewater treatment plant on Sawyer

Road. The treatment plant is operating under an existing NPDES permit

and has been meeting its discharge limits.

The proposed site is surrounded by electrical power to its

boundaries and an adequate distribution system on site. New

distribution systems would not be required. The proposed demands on

electric power are not expected to have a significant adverse affect on

the environment. Similarly, traffic behavior patterns are not expected

to change as a result of the proposed project. Adequate levels of

service would be sustained at all intersections on the base and off on

local access roads, so no significant adverse affects are expected.

There will be no significant adverse affects upon local medical,

emergency, fire and police facilities, all of which are located in the

towns of Limestone, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, and Presque Isle. One Job

Corps complex building is to be remodeled, so as to include a new

medical/dental facility to address normal demands. The new Job Corps

facility will be supported by local medical facilities, including Cary

Medical Center in Caribou and the complex of regional facilities

managed from Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle. Emergency, fire,

and police services will be provided through a cooperative arrangement

with the towns of Limestone, Fort Fairfield, and Caribou.

The proposed project population will not have a significant adverse

sociological effect on the surrounding community, which is

characterized by a diverse ethnicity, and offers an abundance of

recreational, educational and cultural opportunities. Similarly, the

proposed project will not have a significant adverse affect on

demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the area. Rather, the

implementation of the Job Corps will help to fill a void created by the

closure of Loring AFB by providing jobs and educational opportunities

for local residents.

The alternatives considered in the preparation of the EA were as

follows: (1) The ``No Build'' alternative, (2) the ``Alternative

Sites'' alternative, and (3) the ``Continue as Proposed'' alternative.

The ``No Build'' alternative is considered inadequate because it would

require fitting the Job Corps program into an existing building complex

that is ill-equipped for its intended use and, due to the age of some

buildings, contains old, out-of-date electrical, mechanical, and HVAC

systems and potential sources of environmental contamination; e.g.,

asbestos, lead-based paint, contaminated soils. Alternative sites in

New York City, New York and Camden, New Jersey were considered by the

Department of Labor for the new Job Corps Center site, but did not meet

the minimum selection criteria for locating a new Job Corp Center.

After rehabilitating the ten existing buildings, and constructing the

one new building, the proposed facilities will be suitable for their

intended purpose in the Job Corps, will be environmentally safe, and

will be consistent with current building codes and safety practices.

Based on the information gathered during the preparation of the EA

for the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration,

the Office of Job Corps finds that the location of a Job Corps Center

on the Loring AFB in Caribou, Maine will not create any significant

adverse impact on the environment and, therefore, recommends that the

project continue as proposed. The proposed project is not considered to

be highly controversial.

Dated: at Washington, DC, this 6th day of November, 1995.

Mary Silva,

Acting Director of Job Corps.

[FR Doc. 95-28256 Filed 11-15-95; 8:45 am]

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